I used to be a truly rubbish cook.
I’m certainly no über-chef now (competent and adventurous, perhaps), but I’ve come a long way from where I started. Until my early 20s, I’d never so much as boiled an egg. There have been some truly magnificent disasters along the way – usually brought about by convoluted decision making and occasional over-enthusiasm. The apricot lamb incident, as Pete likes to refer to it, still comes up in dinner conversations some twenty years later.
It took me a few years to figure out that cooking is one of those activities where it’s easy to be brave. It’s not like jumping off a bridge with a bungee rope attached to your feet; it’s not even as scary as walking into a room full of people you don’t know. And since we’re rarely playing with expensive ingredients, most of the time experimenting in the kitchen is a fairly economical exercise. A little care needs to be taken with things like sharp knives and hot caramel (I’m a klutz, so I feel it necessary to include this sentence), but with just a little caution, I usually come out physically unscathed.
I really enjoy getting comments from all of you – thank you – but the ones I love the most are when people write to say they’ve tried making something which they’d previously thought would be too difficult. I’m so thrilled whenever someone else discovers how easy it is to make their own butter, or to bake a loaf of bread for their family.
So I’d like to encourage you all to have kitchen bravery! Don’t be discouraged when something doesn’t work; just bin it or compost it or feed it to the chooks. After a little while, you’ll figure out which recipes have a better chance of success, and which don’t. You’ll understand how to adjust temperature guides to suit your own oven, and you’ll instinctively know when your bread dough is proved enough to shape.
Some recipes take a long time to get right. Don’t be put off if your early attempts are complete disasters – just see it as a challenge! Our fudge recipe took eleven attempts to perfect; our ricotta cake took eight (although the neighbours were happy to eat those rejects). We still can’t make torrone to our liking, but we’re taking a break after our fifth attempt – I’m sure we’ll revisit it one day. Our first loaves of bread were pretty ordinary, but lots of practice has made them easy and delicious. Have a go, don’t give up, and I can almost guarantee you’ll surprise and delight yourself!
And truly, there is nothing in the world quite as satisfying as having friends and family say, “You made that? Wow…”
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 